Have a pile of old electronics in need of recycling? Best Buy is testing a free recycling program for e-waste in eight states. This seems like a good idea on Best Buy’s part for a number of reasons. Best Buy has faced some criticism about the disposable nature of many of its products. Quite a few TVs picked up from Best Buy have wound up in a landfill. The problem is made worse by the rapid advancements in technology these days, making even a new purchase obsolete relatively quickly.

While this program is a test program — meaning that Best Buy may decide to chuck the whole thing down the road — the way that Best Buy is running it shows serious potential. Consumers can drop off two items every day at their local Best Buy. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to cart around more than two items anyhow. And if you’re having a new appliance delivered, Best Buy will take the old one away.

There are some limitations on just what electronics you can drop off with Best Buy: televisions over 32 inches, air conditioners and microwaves. Appliances can’t be dropped off — although Best Buy will pick them up from your home for fee, whether or not you’ve bought a new appliance through their store. The recycling program, overall, is focused on collecting the unwanted gadgets (iPods, video game controllers and other little stuff) that generally just get pitched in the trash.

Best Buy is offering a list of participating stores on its website, but basically, the company is testing the recycling program in the Minnesota (Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin), Baltimore (Maryland, D.C. and Virginia) and San Francisco markets. Best Buy has over 900 stores in the U.S., and if all goes well, they may expand the program to every store.

"We want to take the time to learn if we can handle this before we go any further," said Best Buy spokeswoman Kelly Groehler in an interview with the Associate Press yesterday. "We know the need is there and the waste stream is there.”

Best Buy was recently approached by As You Sow, an organization concentrating on corporate social responsibility, for an endorsement for another electronics recycling program. The proposal prompted Best Buy to move forward on its already existing recycling programs and expand those plans. The 117 store test is -- to date -- the most extensive free electronics recycling program offered by any major retailer.